Naruto: Blood And Iron
by Knightmare Gundam of Ni
Summary: Before there were ninja, there were soldiers. Before chakra, there were weapons. Before the Elemental Nations, there were the Triumvirate Powers. All of this came to an end with the rise of Kaguya Otsutsuki. And yet, in the deep, dark crevices of the earth, there remained something waiting for centuries...
1. Prologue: Skips Across Time

Naruto: Blood and Iron

Prologue: Skips Across Time

Tragedies, much as one wishes otherwise, are a common thing. For all that those involved are scarred, the day after begins the same, regardless.

The sun rises.

And so it did this day, over Konohagakure, The Village Hidden In The Leaves. The great wall of the ninja village was crushed in one area, and inside were the ruins of many a building that had suffered the wrath of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the Nine-Tailed Fox.

By all accounts though, the village came off rather light for suffering an attack from one of the dreaded Tailed Beasts. After all, it stood for the most part, and there still existed a populace to mourn the fallen.

One of said fallen lay in state, covered by a white sheet in the Konoha General Hospital's morgue. Once the Hokage, leader of the village, he had given his life in the ultimate sacrifice, to seal the Kyuubi away.

Next to the table on which the corpse laid sat the current Hokage, robed in a red haori and donning the symbolic Kage hat, a diamond-shaped headpiece with a hanging fabric that covered everything but the face. all but a quarter of it was red, the single white quarter above the wearer's face bearing the symbol for fire.

The Hokage sighed, rising, as he lifted the sheet back, revealing the tanned, wizened face of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"You didn't need to do that Hiruzen," Minato Namikaze, Fourth Hokage of Konoha, said, "But thank you, regardless."

Minato bowed his head low over the body, making a prayer for Hiruzen's soul, before replacing the sheet and moving to check on his wife and children in the hospital.

"What do you mean his chakra system is damaged?"

The medical ninja's expression remained calm, albeit his complexion notably paled and he gulped as unobtrusively as possible as the Fourth Hokage, despite speaking in the calmest, most reasonable manner, radiated an aura of general unpleasedness.

"As far as we're able to determine, Naruto was exposed to the Fox's chakra at some point." Minato winced then, a memory coming to his mind, of a small blond child clinging to his mother's legs as an enormous claw burst through the figure of Hiruzen shielding the Namikaze family. "The results...well, it's caused damage that I can only describe as malicious. His tenketsu, his coils...they've all been damaged in such a way as to completely destroy his ability to use chakra in any manner whatsoever. He's only able to naturally generate and store enough to live, if barely that."

"Damn that Fox." Minato swore. He looked over, away from the med-nin and into the room they were standing at the door at. There were two beds in that sterile room, one holding his wife, Kushina Uzumaki, and the newly born twins. The other hosted his young son, five-year old Naruto.

Despite the horror of the previous night, Naruto seemed to be resting peacefully.

"I'm sorry Hokage-sama, but there's nothing we can do. Frankly, I doubt even Tsunade would have any ability to help Naruto, given the nature and severity of the damage."

"I know." Minato sighed. "But it doesn't change anything for him…"

Other than the birth of his new siblings, beginning his ninja training was what Naruto had been looking forward to the most. To now be told that it wasn't going to happen, ever...

It was going to destroy him.

* * *

 **One Year Later**

"But why do you want to learn Taijutsu?" Minato asked. Here he sat, in the Hokage's office at the top of the Hokage's tower, desk virtually covered with paperwork of all types, and before it stood his son, Naruto.

"So I can help." His son stood there, declaring his intent with an air of determination and confidence. Minato studied his son, noting the stiff posture, tiny fists clenched at his sides, and the forceful, focused expression fixed upon him.

 _Is this how Jiraiya saw me, all those years ago?_

"Naruto…"

"Menma and Natsumi." The boy clarified, before his father could continue what promised to be a long lecture. "They might be able to become the best ninja...they might be able to get stronger, faster, and tougher than me...than I can dream...but until then...I want to help them." Father and son stayed there, gazing at one another for a long moment, before Minato just sighed, then chuckled. "Dad?"

"Go home Naruto. We'll talk more about this when I get back." Naruto's shoulders slumped slightly, as he nodded and turned, walking out the door with a downcast air. Minato just watched him until the door closed, then turned to one of the shadowed corners of the office. "Send a message to Might Gai to report to me soon."

It impressed him, and warmed his heart that Naruto, even after what happened to him, was still so caring towards his siblings. Still, it would be even more impressive if he was able to put up with Gai's 'youth' to fulfill his desire.

* * *

 **Another Year Later**

"Come on, doesn't the little princess want to play?"

"Yeah, come on moon eye, why don't you hang around with us? Unless…"

"You think you're too good for us!"

"N-no, that's not-"

"Yeah, little stuck-up Hyuga princess doesn't think we're good enough to play with her!"

Among the winter snow, in one of the sparse copses of trees that could be found in Konoha, a blue-haired girl was surrounded by a trio of boys. The girl, small and delicate-looking, was dressed in a warm maroon coat and blue pants, with a beige scarf, while the three boys were dressed in an assortment of gray and black colors.

 _Why are they so mean?_ Thought one Hinata Hyuga, heiress of the prominent Hyuga ninja clan.

"I-it's not that I don't want to, but my father is enrolling me into the academy and will be done soon..s-so I can't -"

"Yeah right! You're just too stuck up to want to hang out with us!"

"Or maybe you three are just a bunch of dumb mean brats!" At that, the jeers stopped as the three boys turned to the newest participant in this drama. He was around the age and height of the others, with wildly spiky blond hair, dressed in an orange-and-white jacket, yellow shirt, tan pants, and a red scarf wrapped around his neck.

"What's it to you twerp?" The biggest of the three sneered, his buddies forming up beside him as he stepped towards the newcomer.

"It's not right to pick on her!" The blond declared, raising an accusing finger at the three.

"So? What are you gonna do about it?" The lead boy chuckled, cracking his knuckles while his two friends tried to make themselves look bigger. The blond boy swallowed, looking nervous for a moment, before taking a deep breath, straightening his back, and assuming some kind of stance.

"I'll beat you up!" At that, all three of the bullies laughed, and the leader stepped forward, arm out to push the blond down. In an instant, the his arm was grabbed, as the blond twisted around and threw the bigger boy behind him before reassuming his stance facing the other two. For a moment, the two boys just stood there, jaws gaping, before shaking themselves and rushing the blond with two combative shouts.

Hinata, frozen in place since the blond had arrived, could only watch the fighting. The blond moved in a strangely familiar way, smoothly stepping around the two boy's attacks or pushing their fists away instead of solidly blocking. He seemed to be in complete control of the fight, despite not launching a punch or kick himself.

Then the bigger boy came back. A solid punch knocked the blond off his feet, and the three bullies piled on him with brutal noises that made Hinata wince and shrink into herself. For what seemed to be forever, the three boys continued to beat the blond until the leader finally drew back.

"Alright guys, that's enough. I think blondy here's learned his lesson!" And with that, the trio sauntered off, apparently forgetting completely about Hinata in their post-victory smugness. Hinata, cautiously watching them until they were gone, turned and stepped towards the blond boy, who was laying face-first in the snow.

"Um...are you alright?" She asked, and when no answer came, she timidly squatted down and poked the boy's head.

"Ow!" The boy's head darted up, and Hinata dropped back on her butt with a squeak. "Owowowowow!" The boy's mouth just streamed sounds of pain as he sat up and started feeling around his head and face. The bruises were already becoming visible, including a very large and obvious black eye. "Ah, man that hurts. Well, at least they left you alone. Still, glad Gai-sensei's not here. Can't believe I forgot about that guy…" For a moment, the two just stared at each other, before the blond got a look of realization, and bolted to his feet before bowing sticking his hand out. "I'm Naruto by the way, Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze!"

"Ah! Um...Hinata Hyuga." Hinata replied, bowing slightly as she was taught. Naruto looked at her questioningly before another realization made him withdraw his hand and bow as well. "Namikaze...are you…"

"Yeah, the Hokage's my dad." Naruto interrupted, rolling his eyes in a manner that showed how much weight he put on that fact.

"Oh...So are you going to the academy too then?"

"Nah, I'm in the civilian school." At Hinata's curious look, Naruto grimaced. "I...well, I can't use chakra." An awkward silence filled the air then, Hinata and Naruto fidgeting quietly before a thought occurred to Hinata.

"Um...Isn't the civilian school in session right now?:

"Well, yeah, but I decided to skip today." Naruto explained, his hand going behind his head to rub it as he sheepishly grinned. "I mean, the teacher there is sooo boring! He just stands there and talks at everyone for forever -"

"NARUTOOOOOOO!" At the howl of motherly rage and concern that echoed throughout the village, both children twitched, Naruto getting a fearful expression.

"Aaaand that's my mom, well, see you around Hinata!" With that, he turned on his heel and dashed into the forest. Hinata stood and looked after him for a moment, before noticing a splash of color in the white snow at her feet.

Kneeling, she picked up the red scarf Naruto had been wearing, having come off his neck at some point during the fight and getting torn in the melee. Hinata stood there quietly, looking at the scarf, and then folded it up and hid it in her jacket.

Later, when she got back home and her father dismissed her, she went to her mother.

"Mama, can you teach me to sew?"

"Yes dear...but why?" With that, Hinata pulled out Naruto's scarf and explained, after which, her mother smiled at the blushing girl and began to teach.

* * *

 **October 10th, Two Years Later**

"- And let us have a moment of silence for those who fell in our defense...and now, let us celebrate our victory!" With the roar of the cheering crowd, Minato stepped down from the podium, allowing the festival of the Fox's defeat to officially begin.

"Dad! Can I take Menma and Natsumi to the Ramen stand?" Minato looked down, seeing his son Naruto clinging to his haori, flanked by his younger siblings, all three looking up at him with pleading eyes. Minato paused, staying silent for a moment as the two sets of blue and one set of violet eyes seemed to grow bigger and wetter, before finally laughing and ruffling Naruto's hair.

"Of course you can, just make sure to stay in the open areas where your guards can keep an eye on you."

"Yeah! Let's go guys!" Naruto led his siblings off, all three chattering excitedly as they ran, Minato chuckling and watching them carefully, noting the ANBU darting along the nearby rooftops to keep guard on the children.

"Hokage-sama." Minato turned, his gaze falling upon a man with coal-black eyes.

"Fugaku-san." He bowed his head slightly. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"This is regarding the matter you asked me to look into...about four years ago." Fugaku replied, before gesturing aside, to a nearby building where several of the Konoha Police - all Uchiha Clan members - stood guard. Minato nodded, following Fugaku into the building. Shortly after the door closed, seals flashed around the perimeter of the room, ones Minato noted as various sound-cancelling and observation-blocking seals, all simple, but functional by his standards.

"We've been making better progress than last year in going through our records." Fugaku began as the two seated themselves at a table in the center of the room. "The...sensitive nature of these documents and the methods used to secure them have slowed us, as well as our own desire for precision. But, as yet, we have no records regarding any technique similar to that you described. The best we can determine is that, of the nature and power shown, it would at least require the awakening of the Mangekyo."

"As I suspected." Minato said, nodding.

"Yes, but this has made the other facet of our investigation...complicated." Fugaku continued, a slight grimace settling on his face. "Of the Uchiha lost in the past few decades, very few have gone truly missing - a fact possible in no small part due to your efforts during the last war, Hokage-sama. The most likely candidates in recent times are Hachirou, reported dead by ambush during a sortie in the Land of Rivers. Kouki, reported MIA with his entire team during patrol in the Land of Hot Water. And Obito," At that name, Minato sighed, remembering the determined boy on his team during the Third Shinobi World War..and his fate, "reported dead during a mission in the Land of Grass. Of these listed, only Kouki had managed to activate his Sharingan...but as he was about thirty centimeters shorter than your assailant, and specialized in taijutsu, it's deemed unlikely, yet not impossible that he is the culprit." Both men sighed.

"Four years, and we still haven't come any closer…"

"I am glad, nevertheless, that you hold no rancor towards us. If it weren't for your support, the common villagers would no doubt have even more mistrust towards us than they already do."

"Of course I support you. The Uchiha clan has been a strong presence in Konoha for generations now. There may have been Uchiha of malicious intent in the past - and apparently, the present - but such is true of many of Konoha, sad to say." At that, the two drifted into a companionable, if frustrated silence, before Minato spoke again. "What if he really was Madara Uchiha?"

"That's impossible. Madara hasn't been seen in over a century. He must have died by now."

"Yes, but you can't deny the people of that generation were a breed apart, considering all the stories around them. And so much knowledge has been lost, some of it never recovered...is there the slightest chance that Madara somehow lived long enough to make another attempt to finish carrying out his grudge?" An uneasy silence followed the question. "At any rate, I suppose the identity of our enemy doesn't matter at this point. What we really must do is plan to counter his possible movements - whatever else, we know he needs the Kyuubi, so I will have to begin training Menma and Natsumi soon. I ask of the Uchiha clan to begin looking into techniques and strategies to counter the Sharingan - to be used by yourselves against this enemy." Minato added, assuaging Fugaku's unvoiced worry. As he began to continue, Minato felt a small _ping_ of chakra, and in near the same instant, recognized it.

A Hiraishin marker.

Specifically, the one on the kunai he'd given Naruto as a safety measure.

An icy feeling ran down his spine, as he activated Hiraishin without so much as a word to the Uchiha clan head, ripping through space and time to teleport instantly to his son.

The real world emerged around him, and the sight that met his eyes turned him paler than a corpse.

Naruto, standing statue-still, blood covering his body as his siblings shivered behind him.

Minato's focused vision and attention noted the blood, the stillness, and the lack of wounds on any of his children.

Around, a small, dead-end alleyway.

Turning, he saw behind him his special tri-pronged kunai, Hiraishin technique formula scribbled on its grip, central blade embedded deeply into the jugular of a man -a civilian, going by his clothes.

The instant passed, the man gurgling as he fell to his knees, and then fell over onto the ground, his blood pooling around his expiring body.

"Oh...Naruto…"

"D-dad I - he - h-he wanted Menma and Natsumi - said t-they were the F-Fox." Naruto, no longer still, but shaking, sunk to his knees, gaze going to the blood that drenched his clothes, his hands. Minato went to hug his son, the twins coming around to join in despite their fear.

"Shhh...shhh...It's alright…" Minato murmured, absently noting the arrival of the ANBU guards and setting aside their punishments for later.

Now, his children needed him.

* * *

 **A Year Later**

"...and don't forget to make friends, friends will get you through the worst parts of it." Naruto was saying as he walked his younger siblings to the academy. "Plus, they can really help with some of the bigger pranks, like that one I showed you with the lemons and the paperclip. Now, what do you do if someone picks a fight with you?"

"Punch their faces in!" Natsumi, the blonde twin-tailed, blue-eyed little sister, shouted, throwing her little fists in the air.

"Get a teacher." Menma, red-haired, violet-eyed, and unusually deadpan for a boy his age, stated.

"Hm. Well, not wrong, but not quite right either." Naruto judged, earning himself a pout from his little sister and a roll of the eyes from his little brother. "Just let it go...until the next day, where you line their route to the academy with pranks. If you need help, you can get ahold of Hinata - come to think of it, I think she has a sister starting this year too, she might be in your class...try to get her, the Byakugan is dead useful for...well, everything involved in pranking, really."

"Like we haven't heard you talking about it before." Menma, dryly, pointed out.

"Yeah, you talk about Hinata-nee enough that it's like Daddy with Mommy when they're talking about Takara." Natsumi added. "Oh yeah, ANBU here."

"Yeah, I know." Naruto was already slipping out of his jacket as the ANBU grabbed the collar, darting off the moment he was loose, tailed by three other ANBU. The dog-masked ANBU sighed, turning to Natsumi.

"You couldn't wait just two seconds?" Natsumi seemed to think for a moment, before shrugging and turning back to walk towards the academy gates. Menma paused just long enough to get up on his tiptoes and pat the crouching ANBU on the shoulder before following his twin. The ANBU sighed, tidily folded up the jacket and tucked it under his arm before continuing pursuit of the school-skipping Namikaze son.

Ahead, Naruto ducked under several grasping swipes from the ANBU, slipped into a thin gap between planks in front of a boarded up alleyway, and turned the corner.

The ANBU team followed closely, and found the dead-end around the corner curiously empty of a certain blond child. A quick study of the alley revealed a patch of wall that was strangely cleaner than the rest, which was quickly tested, found as a sheet of cloth colored and textured to resemble a wall, and then torn away.

Behind it lay a hole in the wall, dark and foreboding.

"Aw man, not again." One of the ANBU, mask resembling a squirrel's visage, moaned. "Last time he did one of these, I went in and came out smelling like a fishwife for three weeks."

"He got me with a paint trap. I had to requisition a new uniform."

"Itching powder. Lasted four days. Nearly scratched off my ID seal."

"Cats. Chased. Everywhere."

With that, the ANBU team regarded the hole warily, mentally comparing the threat of this dank, dark hole in the side of a building with that of the Hokage's wife's wrath.

A deep, communal sigh was shared before they darted into the hole.

As the cacophony of ruthless pranking sounded, the wall across from the hole was ripped away from behind, Naruto discarding another, more realistically patterned sheet, holding his jacket. Slipping his jacket on, he nonchalantly strode to the end of the alley and popped open a fake wooden manhole cover, replacing it above him as he descended, whistling all the while.

Down below lay Konoha's sewer system. The First Hokage was renowned for growing many of Konoha's oldest and sturdiest buildings, as well as the wall that enclosed the village, but it was his brother, who would later become the Second Hokage, that would take note of the ungodly smell the enormous gathering of people exuded, and thus endeavor to dig out and mold the sewage and overflow tunnels, press-ganging any and all ninja with the slightest capability to move a decent amount of earth into the effort, and thus contribute Konoha's well-being for all time.

And, it was said, burying a number of the Senju clan's political opponents and potential trouble-makers in the process.

Naruto, in his travels over the past two years, had yet to find any long-dead mummified ninja, but had discovered quite the collection of graffiti from others who had found their way down there.

Striding along the walkway with a small ramen-scented cloth wrapped around his face and a flashlight in his hand, Naruto followed a memorized route, navigating around the nigh-endless corners and turns of the sewer system, until he reached a collapsed wall, behind which lay a decently-sized chamber, decorated with a campfire and a stone block with an old, ratty comforter thrown over it.

Here was the place Naruto had spent his time when he wanted to be alone, as Menma and Natsumi grew, as Minato was drawn deeper into his duties as Hokage, as Kushina raised the newborn Takara.

Here he spent time alone, all but brooding, as Hinata grew ever stronger in the Jyuken as well as other ninja arts.

Here, where he could try and forget the face of the man he killed last year.

Kindling the fire using a method he'd read from a book and practiced on many a skipped school day, Naruto turned off the flashlight and let the jumping, jittery glow of the flames and the mad dancing shadows draw him into long, dark thoughts.

Eventually, his thoughts grew too turbulent, drawing him to his feet and into a slow, measured pace around the fire. Here, he let himself relax his emotional grip, focus on the internal rather than the external.

And so, he missed the signs. The slight tremor in the floor when he passed a certain spot in the cavern, or how he still had plenty of oxygen despite the blazing fire, or where the smoke was going, or what was causing the breeze he felt but did not acknowledge.

Thus, when he turned and kicked a part of the wall in a fit of pique, he was unprepared when the ground roared, crumbled and fell apart beneath him.

Mercifully, free fall was quite short, and Naruto found himself rolling off of one ledge or another, desperately scrabbling for a grip to halt his rapid descent.

After what felt like a terrible eternity of falls and sudden, heart-jolting stops, Naruto finally reached the bottom of this shaft.

He laid there for a moment, catching his breath and trying to remember the exercises Gai-sensei had taught him to control his heart rate, to prevent himself from descending into a full-blown panic. Soon enough, his heart slowed from the beat of a bee's wings to a more steady drum-like tempo, and Naruto slowly climbed to his feet, hands out to feel around as he couldn't see in the pitch darkness of the deep cavern.

Slowly, he crept forward, hands reaching out until they met a smooth metal surface.

Lights flashed into existence then, bright, burning blue spotlights that blinded Naruto, his hands darting instinctively to cover his eyes. As he blinked the spots from his vision, a strange-sounding voice called out.

"Ceci est la Shelter Installation Souterraine Bastille, contrôlée par la Sapient Intelligence Artificielle Joyeuse. Qui es-tu?"

"H-hello? Who's there?" Naruto called, hands still covering his eyes as he backed away from the lights. "I-I'm warning you! I'm the son of the Hokage! You do anything to me and y-you'll regret it!"

"Langue inconnue détectée. Échantillon obtenu. Analyse ... tenter contact." There was a pause, and then the voice spoke again, somewhat more understandable. "The Subterranean Shelter Facility Bastille, this is, controlled by the Sapient Artificial Intelligence Joyeuse. You, who are?"

"N-naruto Uzumaki Namikaze!" Naruto replied, after a brief hesitation.

"Naruto, You doing here, what are? You get down here, how did?" Another pause, as Naruto worked through the unusual grammar.

"I uh, I fell when the cave collapsed around me. I fell for a long time it felt like...um, do you know how deep we are?" Pause.

"Located approximately 4.2 kilometers below sea level, this facility is." A long pause followed this, as Naruto paled. "However, only about two kilometers deep, the entrance here is."

"Phew! That means I only feel...what, 300 meters? Heh. Heh." There was no humor in his forced chuckle. "Oh man, how in the world am I going to get back up?" A long silence greeted him, as he finally took his hands away from his eyes and looked around the cavern. The bright lights lit up every crevice in the rock around, laying bare all the areas the light reached, and casting deep shadows in the places it did not. In front of him, the lights blared from the top two corners of a set of gates that made Konoha's main gates look positively miniscule, a two huge doors that seemed to be made entirely of metal. Feeling less frightened, Naruto moved closer to the doors, studying them.

"What were you doing over one and a half kilometers underground Naruto?" The voice called out finally, after almost three minutes. It's grammar had drastically improved, and Naruto was collected enough to note it sounded strangely bland so far as tonation, and had a sort of metallic flanging sound to it.

"Um, well, Konoha's about 300 meters under the sea level anyway, so I was really only a little over a kilometer underground. As for what I was doing there...well, it was a nice secluded spot. I could just think to myself without anyone bothering me…"

"Why would you need to be alone Naruto?"

"There's just some stuff that's been bugging me - um, hey, you wouldn't happen to know a way back to the surface, would you?"

"I do. But, Naruto, what's bothering you?"

"Just some stuff, but could you tell me the way up? I really need to get back soon. I mean, I don't mind skipping school, but my brother and sister are going to be let out of the academy soon, and I don't want to miss picking them up from their first day, you know?"

"You have siblings?:

"Yeah, the twins and my newborn little sister, now look, um, Joiez, right?"

"My name is pronounced Joyeuse."

"Right, whatever, could you tell me the way up please?" At this point, it was rather obvious that Naruto was a bit more than ticked off. He was gritting his teeth, his hands were clenched into fists, and without a firm target, he just glared at the doors.

"There is a linear elevator in Sector 117 that exits at a guard facility in the mountain above this location. That facility has a camouflaged exit to the surface."

"Great! Would you mind letting me in so I can use the elevator then!?"

"I cannot."

"WHY THE HELL NOT!?"

"You are not authorized to access this facility." At that Naruto broke, yelling out obscenities that he had learned through numerous bouts of eavesdropping, a fusillade of slurs and insults at the doors and the voice, before finally he walked up and kicked the doors, only achieving a remarkable pain in his foot and ripping further swears from his lips.

After the outburst, he laid against the doors, slowly sliding down them until he was sitting, and cried.

"I am sorry Naruto. My directives are quite clear on this matter." Joyeuse said, earning another swear from the boy. "Now, about your siblings…" Then the voice started to question Naruto. Initially, the blond remained stubborn, either staying silent or firing off another round of curses at the voice, but eventually, with nothing better to do, he started answering the questions, telling Joyeuse about his life, Konoha and, apparently most interesting to it, chakra.

With nothing but the lights and the shadows of the cave, Naruto couldn't tell how much time passed when the voice finally fell silent again.

For a moment.

"I believe I can help you Naruto." The voice instantly drew his attention with those words. Naruto sprung to his feet and whirled around, staring at the doors.

"You're not screwing with me are you?"

"No. However, in order for me to help you, you're going to have to swear something to me."

"What?"

"Repeat after me: I, Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze -"

"Um... I, Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze -"

"Do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Codices of the Federation of Sovereign States against all enemies, be they at our gates or in our homes -"

"Do s-solemnly swear that I will support and d-defend the Coditches of the Fedaration of Sovereign States against all enemies, b-be they at our gates or in our homes -"

"That I will be loyal and virtuous to the same - "

"That I will be loyal and virtus to the same - "

"And that I will, to the best of my abilities, perform the duties that I am sworn to."

"A-and that I will, to the b-best of my abilities, perform the duties that I am sworn to."

"May my ancestors bless my path."

"M-may my ancestors bless my path."

"Congratulations recruit number 9,999, Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, on your acceptance into the Armed Forces of the Federation of Sovereign States." The doors, frozen still for so long, began to shriek, sliding into the walls on either side of them.

"Welcome to the Blood and Iron Corps."

* * *

Author's Note

Right. Well. It's been a while since I've posted...well, anything, on Fanfiction here, isn't it?

God, so many stories, so many ideas, characters and plotlines, just left to rot on the vine...Some I didn't like the way I did them, others I had ideas I just couldn't pull off, and then there's the ones that I just lost interest in (i.e., most of them).

I've tried to pick back up so many stories so many times, but I just couldn't force myself to do it. Heck, until now, I couldn't even muster the gumption to write a new story.

But, here I am now, and well, let's get on with it.

This is Naruto: Blood And Iron. It's going to be basically my take on the whole 'Naruto's family lives, but doesn't like him/notice him/love him' thing that permeates the whole Naruto section of Fanfiction. I've never really liked the concept, mostly because practically every single one I've read has been incredibly contrived, making Naruto's family horrendously negligent, stupid or just hateful for really no good reason, and then later on making them feel sorry when he inevitably gets his superpowerful bloodline or whatever. Ugh. It's basically just another wrapping for a power fic, like the "Godlike Naruto" ones or the ones where he gets the Sharingan. Speaking of which, I know it's a joke in parts of the fandom to call the Sharingan pinkeye, but given just how damn many fics there are of him getting the bloodline, it's spread almost like a particularly virulent strain of conjunctivitis. Can't people come up with something better? Like, original?...So yeah, I decided to take a shot at it.

Egh, enough ranting. The obvious and upfront changes to canon are shown right in the prologue you've hopefully read before coming down here and reading this, but there's going to be some more in the background that won't be apparent for a while.

And when I say some, I mean a whole lot. A whole damn lot.

One major one I'll get out of the way: That whole thing with Kaguya, the Sage, reincarnation and shit? That's not happening here. That was the dumbest, shark-jumpingest thing I've heard of since Dragonball GT (well, Dragonball Z in general, really), and I'm not going to deal with it. Just...no. The most of the canon villains we'll get to here is Zombie Madara, maybe. I don't know, I only have a rough outline so far, we'll have to see what happens when I get to writing those parts.

Anyway, this isn't a crossover really, but for the parts I'm adding I'm drawing a lot of inspiration from stuff like Gundam (Mostly Iron-Blooded Orphans this time), X-Com (The new ones, I never played the old ones), Full Metal Panic, Starship Troopers (Book), Patlabor, Metal Gear, and Halo, to mention just a few of the many sources I'm consciously and unconsciously tapping. So yeah, a more sci-fi-style Naruto story here.

Right then. Now, I'm well aware of my abilities as a writer at this point, so if anyone has anything they want to say, just hit the review button and drop a note. Or PM me if you don't want to up the review count, just keep in mind that my ability or desire to reply directly is...well, I've never been a social person really, and I've got shit to deal with and work to do. Apparently, financial advisers can't type. So yeah. Say what you want, point out errors, mention what you think about a part, if you don't like it and if so what could work better, and if you're the type of person to do so, drop a flame. I really don't mind.

If anyone's wondering about the cover image, that's a model I personally made with hours of blood, sweat, and tears in Blender Render, set against a generic forest image with some shading done in MangaStudio 5.0. I really tried to not make a Gundam-style head, but then it turned into Optimus Prime...so I just gave up and did what I liked. I'm probably going to keep toying with it, maybe make a full-body model (begins to internally weep at the thought of the time-sink and the work).

Anyway, here's me dipping my toe back into fanfic writing. Hi folks.

\- Knightmare Gundam of Ni


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

 **Eight Years Later**

/[It is 0500. Wake up Naruto.]\

In the mansion accorded to the Hokage and his family, a certain man's eyes snapped open. Rising slowly, and taking a moment to stretch, he was soon enough, dressed, out into the hall, and then into the kitchen whereupon he began the usual morning rituals of preparing breakfast - brewing the tea, cooking the omelet, and so on.

Maturity had grown Naruto well. Once a little short for his age, he'd sprouted to a full 180 centimeters, making him slightly taller than his father. He was of an average build, lightly muscled from an occasional taijutsu training session with Might Guy, as well as a more sedate, civilian-friendly exercise schedule. His hair, once long and spiky, was cropped short two years ago, the reason given that he didn't want to look too much like his father, and the two stripes of lighter platinum blond hair above his temples helped in that regard.

Minato, for his part, was disappointed to lose his mini-me, a fact he once again bemoaned as he emerged from the bedroom-laden hallway into the kitchen and living area of the house, seeing his son at work.

"Good morning Naruto."

"Morning dad." Minato sat at the kitchen table, held his hand out, and drew it back holding a manilla folder.

"Thank you Crow." The ANBU, professional as always, did not respond. Minato opened the folder and began perusing the documents that were generated during his sleep - those that were too important to wait until he officially started his day at the office, yet not important enough to wake him and the vindictive hellion he married in the middle of the night.

The papers on the table were soon joined by a cup of tea and a plate of omelet and rice, courtesy of Naruto, who sat down to eat his own breakfast of the same. It was only a few bites into the meal before Minato decided to tread a path that was, by now, quite well-worn.

"Are you sure I can't get you to stay?"

"I'm sure Dad."

"You could apprentice to one of the smiths. I hear Higarushi is looking for an apprentice now that his daughter's a genin."

"I know Dad. Tenten told me."

"Well...what about the library?"

"Too dull."

"Uh...Teaching? I'm sure the civilian school wouldn't mind…" Minato trailed off at the deadpan expression Naruto shot at him, before remembering just how often Naruto had skipped classes, and openly disrespected several of his teachers before he'd tested out. So he shrugged, nodded and they resumed eating. Then another possibility came to mind. "What about the ninja academy? Your taijutsu skills are -"

"No." Naruto stated, a tone of finality and annoyance quite apparent to all around. Minato stared sadly for a moment.

"You're really intent on this, aren't you?"

"I said it a year ago: The day after Natsumi and Menma graduate, I leave." The firmness of Naruto's voice, and the rising anger, left the two blonds silent for a moment, before the younger's expression softened from the harsh expression he had and he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I mean, I'll be back, just...after I learn what to do with myself. On my own." Minato nodded slowly, not happy, but willing to let the point go...for now. The two finished their breakfasts then, Naruto rising to return back to the stove, cooking more omelets.

He finished just in time, as an exceptionally loud alarm began to blare from the bedrooms. The almost instantly following thud and crunching noise made Minato sigh, resigned to buying yet another alarm clock.

Shortly after, a blur of yellow and orange darted into the kitchen, grabbing the plate Naruto held out, and darting to the table before shouting a thanks and digging in. Minato just looked at Natsumi, brow quirked, for a few moments before she noticed. Recognizing the look, the girl blushed slightly and slowed down, going from 'ravenous wild beast' to 'somewhat respectable member of society' styles of eating. A groan preceded Menma's arrival to the kitchen, the redhead plodding along at his own, much, much more sedate pace, taking his omelet from his older brother and sitting down before proceeding to nudge his food around the plate. Experience told the blond trio that he'd do so for a while before beginning to actually eat, at the end of which Menma would finally be able to resume normal functioning.

It was now that Kushina made her appearance, holding small, bleary-eyed eight-year old Takara in her arms. She made her way to her husband, greeting him with their customary morning kiss (to the disgust of their younger two children) and giving Naruto a grateful look when he set down a plate of omelet and a bowl of cereal at the last two places at the table. As she sat down and arranged Takara in the eight-year-old's seat though, she took a mock angry expression.

"Mou, Naruto! You're making me look bad in front of your siblings here! Getting up before me, making breakfast for them…" Naruto, in response, assumed a smirk.

"What, am I supposed to let them waste away while you do your makeup?"

"Well...yes." She said, to the shock of Menma and Natsumi, as Minato hid a chuckle behind his papers. "At their moment of greatest hunger, I would appear, their radiant and loving mother, giving them food and love, and being showered in their praise and affection." The rest of the family could just see the sparkling vision Kushina had, before Naruto snorted.

"Well, it's a good thing I'm leaving soon then." He said, ignoring the wince and the immediately downcast expressions on his family. "I'll come back, bearing exotic and fantastical gifts from all over the world, to find Menma, Natsumi and Takara weakly pawing at the gates, all thin and wasted-looking." Minato, again, hid his chuckle behind his papers, albeit much less successfully, and the twins took his cue and laughed, while Kushina pouted at Naruto. "They'll ask, 'Naruto, why? Why did you leave us with Mom, the only thing she knows how to cook is ramen," Now Kushina outright glared at him, while Natsumi drooled imagining a world of nothing but ramen for every meal, "and not even the good ramen, but the instant stuff that tastes bland and overcooked." At that, her expression turned a little sour.

"Hoy! I'll have you know I make the best damn ramen 'ttebane!" Kushina roared.

"But not as good as mine." Naruto teased, with a point that all the ramen-loving members of the Uzumaki-Namikaze family couldn't help but agree - Kushina somewhat grumpily so. Minato and Menma just shook their heads.

Soon enough, the twins finished their breakfasts, and for the last time, Naruto walked with them out the door, escorting them in the same manner he had ever since their first day eight years ago. Of course, it had long since ceased to be of any practical purpose, considering how rapidly the twins had progressed in their abilities. At this point, Naruto's presence was more about protecting the village from Natsumi, considering how his sister had rapidly taken up the hat of Konoha's most...enthusiastic prankster.

Naruto himself had long since laid down his paint bombs, trip wires, and stink pellets, much to the open relief of Konoha's ANBU forces, school teachers, and janitors.

The walk itself passed in silence, the three siblings unwilling to risk disrupting the nice atmosphere left from breakfast, especially with Naruto's departure looming so close. Soon enough, they arrived at the academy, other students milling around in the early hours before class starts.

"Alright guys." Naruto turned to the twins. "You go in there and do your best, alright? But remember that no matter what happens - I'm proud of you." The twins glanced at each other and grinned at Naruto.

"Jeez Nii-san, you're such a sap." Natsumi joked, as she hugged Naruto. Menma nodded, and gave Naruto a pat on the arm.

"Yeah, yeah, come on, go get your headbands and I'll see you guys at home." The twins separated from their older brother, waving as they walked into the academy. They moved sedately through the halls, passing groups of gossiping girls and boasting boys alike, ignoring the whispered comments and exclamations that trailed them like a ship's wake.

Soon enough, they had reached their classroom's door, halting in front of it.

"What if…" Natsumi began, drawing a side-long look from Menma, "what if we just...failed?" That made Menma fully turn and frown at her.

"Are you…"

"On purpose." Natsumi clarified. "I mean...Naru-nii said he'd leave when we graduate, right? So...what if we just didn't graduate?"

"Then mom and dad would be disappointed, and Naru-nii would hate himself."

"Huh?" Menma sighed, and explained.

"You know Naru-nii's been pushing us to do our best here. How do you think he'd feel, after all the effort he put in to help and encourage us, that we threw the graduation finals because we wanted him to stay? Not to mention, Iruka-sensei's one of Naru-nii's friends, and he'd definitely know if we weren't trying."

"Wait...aren't you just barely passing?"

"Yeah, but I'm just copying Shikamaru as a layabout and undercutting him a bit to get that dead-last place so we'll get on the same team," Menma reminded, "That's entirely different from just going and outright failing the exam."

"Oh yeah, the 'averaging team match-up' thing...why are we bothering with that?"

"'Cuz it'll tick Sasuke off."

"Oh yeah. Heh." The twins started chuckling then, right before a pair of streaks, one pink and the other blond, smashed into them.

* * *

Outside, Naruto was left standing after the twins, and at the academy in general, a sort of wistful longing expression on his face.

It didn't last long though, as two positively dainty hands clamped over his eyes.

"Guess who?"

In response, Naruto rolled his eyes, unseen under the hands, and poked under his armpit, eliciting a squeal and a cringe from the woman behind him. Repeated strokes made her break out into a constant stream of giggling, as she withdrew her hands to defend herself.

At that point, Naruto moved, sweeping one foot behind him, then turning, and bending over, arms outstretched, in a display of grace and agility one normally doesn't expect from a man. The woman, tripped by his sweep, fell into his arms, and Naruto smirked in the face of one Hyuuga Hinata, heiress, jonin, and his long-time girlfriend, gracing him with a very, very cute pout.

"You never guess."

"Well, I don't need to. You're the only one who does that to me." With that reply, Naruto simply leaned in and kissed her. It only lasted a moment, but when they separated, Hinata had turned a bright, nearly glowing red, and Naruto wore a wide, happy smile.

"You know Naruto, I could probably arrest the you for that act of public indecency. Between my father and other contacts in the police, and the undoubted support of the Hyuuga clan, I could probably imprison you for at least ten hours without parole." A dry, neutral voice cut in, and the pair turned to see one Uchiha Itachi, former ANBU and policeman, current jonin and Uchiha clan heir, standing just off to the side of them.

"You could, but you won't." Naruto declared.

"And why is that?"

"Because I would hunt you down and torment you, destroying your tenketsu and shattering your joints and making your every breath a living hell." Both boys felt their eyes slide in their sockets to lock onto the figure of Hinata, having hopped out of Naruto's arms and assumed a scolding posture, hands at hips and glare directed at Itachi. Remembering that she had, in fact, been partnered with Anko, one of the premier specialists in the interrogation division, both shuddered slightly, before Naruto pulled a box from his pocket.

"Also, I have pocky."

"Bribe accepted." Itachi said quickly, swiping the box and stashing it in an instant.

"Your father would be disappointed."

"Maybe, but I have pocky." Naruto and Hinata broke up in laughter at that, while Itachi stood there, with a small, subdued smile on his face.

 **That Evening**

Hours later, the trio returned from hanging around the village - Hinata bearing a bag full of cinnamon buns, and Itachi holding a box of onigiri - and arrived back at the Academy, just as the classes were let out.

A stream of students flowed steadily out the door, many of them bearing gleaming new headbands etched with the spiraling leaf symbol of Konoha, with just as many with bare heads and sad expressions.

As the trio approached, many of the parents arriving to greet and praise or console their offspring noticed the two clan heirs and the son of the Hokage, all greeting them with bows and salutations of highest respect.

Yet, as they returned the gestures and passed, the three couldn't help but hear the careless comments made by those unaware of just how sharp their hearing was.

"...Hokage-sama's son isn't he…"

"What's he doing here..."

"...sister and brother are graduating today too…"

"...punishing himself like this…"

"...vicariously off of his siblings…"

"...should just accept his lot…"

Both Hinata and Itachi noted the way Naruto's neck tensed up, and the smile on his face became stiff as the barbs mounted up. As they cleared the crowd of parents, heading to the swing in the yard of the Academy, he noticed their concerned looks, and gave a laugh.

"Don't look so worried guys, it's nothing I'm not used to."

The two, girlfriend and best friend, simply acted as they had ever since they became aware, and nodded.

Soon, they were greeted by the smiling faces of Menma, Natsumi, and Sasuke, all bearing the gleaming headbands.

"Look Naru! We passed!" Natsumi cheered, running up to her brother and hopping up to shove her forehead into his face.

"I see that." Naruto chuckled, before flicking the plate with his finger, sending Natsumi stumbling a step back and giving her brother a wide-eyed look. Next to her, Sasuke was reacting similarly to his brother's long-suffered finger poke, and Menma stood slightly behind both of them, hiding a grin behind his hand. "Come on, let's head back home. Me and Mom will make some celebratory ramen."

"There's going to be omusubi for you when we get home as well." Itachi told Sasuke, to the latter's suppressed delight.

With that, the group split apart - the Uchiha returned to their district and family for Sasuke's graduation celebration, as Hinata and the Uzumakis trekked back to the Uzumaki residence for Natsumi and Menma's.

The festivities were surprisingly low-key considering how rambunctious the Uzumaki's (namely Natsumi and Kushina) were, a simple large dinner (heavy on the ramen) and some small gifts to the two newly-anointed ninja - a set of arm and leg guards for Natsumi, and a simple sealing book for Menma.

During the mostly happy party though, Naruto noticed glances and uneasy looks cast at him - he didn't know if they thought they were being suitably circumspect or were just too concerned to hide it, but there was as a result an undercurrent of tension throughout the evening.

When the time came to retire for the night, he went to bed restlessly, both dreading and anticipating the next day. Restless as he was, he was still awake when the door to his room opened creakily. Rising, he saw the shapely silhouette of Hinata standing in the doorway.

"Hinata? I thought you went home already?" He noted then that she was not wearing her normal jacket and pant, but a very sheer nightgown.

"I had to get a change of clothes and inform my father of where I'm staying tonight." She said, closing the door behind her and moving to Naruto's bed, along the way slipping off the nightgown, leaving her wearing only a very, very scandalous-looking set of lingerie. Naruto felt his face near-instantaneously burn such that he imagined his cheeks glowed in the darkness.

"Hi-Hinata!"

"Oh, don't worry Naruto, you're not getting lucky tonight." She chuckled in a sensual, throaty way that was definitely not a part of Hyuuga clan teachings - and was probably copied from Anko. "This," She gently prodded Naruto over, slipping under the covers, "is just a little taste…" She snuggled up to him, "and an incentive for you to hurry back from wherever you go."

The pair laid there silent for a moment, until Naruto wrapped his arm around Hinata and hugged her tight to him as he laid a kiss on her head.

Then they stayed like that, close and warm in each other's arms, until they fell asleep.

* * *

 **The Next Day**

It was well after dawn when Naruto left Konoha. Friends and family gathered to see him off, with his mother front and center acting as all highly-attached mothers do.

"- and make sure to avoid strange people-"

Streaming a flood of advice and smothering him in a hug. Naruto could only hug her back and nod at his other well-wishers.

By the time Kushina finally let go, allowing his siblings to rush forward and hug him themselves, the sun was well above the horizon.

"Alright guys, come on, don't make me be the reason you're late to your team formations." Naruto finally said, patting the twins on their head and lightly pushing them off. He gave Takami a big hug, lifting her up before setting her back down next to Kushina. Minato was next, pulling Naruto into a very manly sort of hug.

"Stay safe." He said, and then released his son, who nodded at him, and turned to his last well-wisher.

Hinata stood there, eyes watery and stance tense and sad. Naruto smiled sadly at her, and embraced her. They held the embrace for a few long tender seconds, and then separated. As they did so Naruto took hold of Hinata's chin and leaned in, kissing her, much to her wide-eyed surprise.

"I'll be counting the days until I get that welcome home present." Naruto said with a wide, closed-eyed grin, before turning and marching through the main gates, leaving Hinata to blush bright red and poke her fingers together, studiously avoiding the raised eyebrow of Minato and the teary grin from Kushina.

The gates closed slowly as Naruto walked on, remaining stolidly focused on the path ahead. Hours passed by as he steadily marched onward, the forest passing to either side of him as the sun drew down to dusk, and an avian form of some kind drifted high above.

/[Your babysitters are gone.]\

Immediately, Naruto turned on his heel and walked back and to his left, beginning his trek through the forest. It was a necessarily long walk, doubling back after losing the ANBU that had, either of their own volition or his father's instruction, tailed him from the gates. After all, he didn't want them to find out his secret. It was thus nearing midnight, with the waning moon well overhead, when he reached his destination.

There was nothing that really distinguished this spot from another to the naked eye.

The only thing marking this spot from any other in the forest that spanned dozens of square kilometers was a weak, pulsing signal from a radio beacon. The signal was cast out on a frequency of around 250 gigahertz, a frequency with millimeter wavelength that was readily blocked by everything from trees, foliage, and even the moisture levels in the air, making it extremely unsuited for any form of long-range communication. However, this also made it perfect for Naruto's purpose, as a signal that only covered a couple of kilometers was ideal for marking this spot without being detected at range, allowing only those who knew the general area to find the specific coordinate.

"[Alright Joyeuse, open the door.]" Naruto ordered, the lyrical ancient language flowing as easily as his native tongue.

Nothing happened.

"[Joyeuse….]"

/[Whosoever would enter the Cavern of Death must answer me these questions three, ere-]\

"[I'm not doing this.]"

/[...Ere the inner sanctum he see. What is your purpose?]\

"[To burn your humor processing cores.]"

/[There is no such thing. Humor, as you are well aware Naruto, is a function of -]\

"[Just open the door Joyeuse. This day's been eight years coming, and I don't want to wait a second longer. I don't think you have any real patience either.]" An electronic sigh sounded in Naruto's head.

/[Very well. I shall try to instill a respect for the classics in you another date.]\ With that, a section of the ground before Naruto crumbled, grass and dirt splitting apart to reveal a deep, dark hole, from which arose a metal cage just shy of three meters tall and four wide. One side of the cage slid down, allowing Naruto to step through and enter the cage. The door slid back up quickly, and within a second the elevator began to slid back down, the camouflaged door covering the shaft again.

Lights that ringed the elevator walls turned on as the doors shut, letting Naruto see the progression of the elevator as it passed from topsoil, to hard dirt, to stone, and finally, to metal, as he entered the Bastille.

The elevator finally settled down, the door opening as a hum filled the vast, empty space and lights slowly built up to full glow. Soon, the lights revealed a large cavern, roof and floor shod with metal and supported by similar support pillars. The walls, however, were still naked stone, yet showing clear sign of being worked from highly advanced tools and mechanisms.

The workers which did so were arrayed before Naruto, metal creatures with eight limbs that served as both legs and tools, dozens standing silently in formation on the floor, and an equal number clinging to the ceiling. A brief shudder sped along Naruto's spine as the lights gleamed off of the many-lensed optics of the mining spiders.

"[Jeez, you trying to scare me Joyeuse?]" At that, the spiders moved, twitching and flexing their limbs.

"[Of course -]"

"[- not Naruto, I -]"

"[- simply wished to -]"

"[- greet the highest -]"

"[- ranked living member of -]"

"[- the Blood and Iron Corps -]"

"[- with the ceremony his arrival -]"

"[- and formal activation -]"

"[- is accorded.]"

Naruto was twitching as Joyeuse routed its speech through different clusters of spiders, creating a very disjointed-sounding - and rather unsettling - speech pattern.

"[Please just... put them back to work…]"

"[By your command.]" Joyeuse chorused through the spiders, garnering a last twitch from Naruto before the horde dispersed back to its regular work, and the cacophony of drills, jackhammers, lasers and saws filled the cavern.

Sighing to himself, Naruto began another long trek, following the lights to the central area of the Bastille, ignoring the side tunnels and branching paths that Joyeuse had carved over the years. After a half hour, a quite tired Naruto finally walked into a familiar scene.

Twin metal doors, well over three times his height and just under half that wide, haloed by a set of gently glowing lights, rather than the harsh spotlight glare that had blinded him eight years ago.

Like so many years ago, the doors slid apart, beckoning Naruto inside.

"[Welcome back, Second Lieutenant Namikaze.]" Joyeuse greeted as he walked into the wide corridor beyond. Where once the metal walls were tarnished and dirty, they now seemed to gleam. The air, once stale yet flowing, was as fresh as that of the surface.

"[You've done well with the place Joyeuse.]"

"[Naturally. Restorative maintenance was one of the first tasks I undertook after you activated me. It is late now. Your quarters -]"

"[Not just yet Joyeuse. Let's get it all done right now.]"

"[...I suppose you won't take no for an answer. Very well. Follow the green lights.]" The corridors had lit up upon Naruto's entrance, and now, small green lights set into the walls came on, leading Naruto down through the halls to a set of much more reasonably-sized doors. Above it, the ancient language lettered the frame, naming the room beyond as the MCS Assembly And Fitting Facilities. The doors slid open, and Naruto entered, finding a medium-sized room with lockers lining the walls on either side of the door, two man-sized glass stalls set into the corners, and another door. "[Locker M23 should have an appropriate-sized pilot suit inside, but I recommend you shower first.]" Naruto nodded at that, stripping down and retrieving his bath things and entering one of the stalls, only to be greeted by a freezing spray of water.

"[Joyeuse!]"

"[My apologies. I did not expect you to be so adamant, and forgot to activate the water heater.]" Naruto glared at the ceiling, left without a more direct target to focus his ire on, before sighing, and waiting for a second. "[It should be ready now.]" Stepping inside, Naruto found the water to be pleasantly warm now. He quickly scrubbed down, cleansing himself, stepped out and dried.

Locating Locker M23, Naruto opened it, finding, as he expected, a dark gray set of clothing hanging there, a top, pants, boots, gloves, a belt and a helmet. He dressed himself in them, finding only some stretching needed in the top. As he donned each article, a slight clicking could be heard in the overlapping parts, the gloves and boots over the sleeves of the top and pants, and the belt over the adjoining folds of the same. He knew from Joyeuse's lessons that this was the electromagnetic seals, consisting of specially-designed polymagnets, intended to help protect from various hazards like chemicals, extreme temperatures, and radiation, a thing Naruto only had academic knowledge on. The dark gray outer material was designed to resist cutting and piercing from knives and gunpowder bullets, middle layers provided the temperature regulation capability, power-assistance, and waste containment, and the inner false-silk weave allowed him to slide into the getup with little discomfort.

As he finished putting on the gloves, Naruto turned to look in the mirror set in the locker's door. While tight and form-fitting, the layers of the suit prevented much detail from showing, and the strategically-placed padding made him seem broader than he really was, especially across the shoulders and chest. A moment passed where Naruto imagined Hinata in one of these suits, and he had to shake the pleasing image from his head before he reached for the helmet.

Unlike the fabric of the rest of the suit, the helmet was a molded plastic-like piece, with a rebreather and a shaped visor that made it resemble a dark skull, helped by the notable impressions and ports all around it. Hesitating slightly, Naruto slipped the helmet on, the clicks sounding as the flexible fabric around its neck sealed with the long neck-sleeve on the top.

It was all dark. Naruto could hear only his breath in the confined space. Panic threatened his mind, and he had to take steady breaths until his vision began to light up, and a cold feeling like spring-melt water crept into his brain.

If he hadn't been briefed on it for years, the combined sensation would have driven Naruto stark-raving mad, even more so once sounds began to intrude back into the chaos. Soon though, the colors stabilized into a clear view of the locker room as the direct visual input lasers stabilized, the sounds faded as the audio sensors auto-corrected, and the cold feeling faded as the processing units synchronized with his neural hub augment.

The suit began to move itself, squirming around him as the assistive musculature attuned itself to his body. As it finished, Naruto looked in the mirror again.

He looked sleek. He looked dangerous.

/[Everything seems to be in order.]\ He reported.

/[Very well. The printing line has begun manufacturing the endostructure. You should be ready for full assembly momentarily.]\

/[Alright then]\ Naruto's mental voice did nothing to hide his rising excitement. /[Let's get this done.]\ Without further comment, he stepped through the doors to the next room. It was a large circular area, a single central lamp shining into it, and the walls composed of angular panels around a raised dais in the center. A rising hum filled the air, and constant clicking, buzzing and zapping noises sounded behind the panels.

As Naruto stepped into the room, the dais flipped suddenly, the smooth surface being replaced by a morass of wires and robotic arms surrounding a pair of metal structures. They resembled large metal shoes, if the shoes had been holed and shaped into thin structures and broad thin plate. Naruto didn't hesitate, stepping his boots into the metal pieces with perhaps a tad too much enthusiasm, rocking them down in their holdings.

A few seconds passed, the sounds ramping up, before there was a reaction.

The panels slid apart, disappearing into the ceiling and floor and revealing hosts of mechanical limbs festooned with tools, From the darkness beyond them, more arms came carrying pieces of metal similar to the boots, flitting over to Naruto and fitting the metal around him. The tool arms extended, darting around the metal pieces and shaping them further, whittling some parts down, or attaching more, with small bright blue sparks shining as the arms connected all the pieces.

The structure grew rapidly, a honeycomb of metal growing close to Naruto's suited body. Soon, other parts appeared, connected to certain hollows or indents in the structure, small, distinctly different metal parts connected at the joints of the arms and legs, a strange glowing spine-like structure attaching to a hollow in the back, and small parts being attached to strategic points all over the structure.

/[Endostructure assembly completed]\ Joyeuse reported. Naruto was virtually entombed in a honeycomb of greyish-white metal, the only notable exceptions being his head and hands, although his neck and wrists were ringed by especially finely detailed sections of metal. /[I'm pleased that my growth simulation was so accurate. There was only minimal shortening needed in the leg frames, and a slight expansion in the shoulder frames.]\

/[That's nice Joyeuse. Now for the rest.]\

/[Very well. Commencing exostructure assembly]\

With those words, more pieces appeared from the dark spaces beyond the chamber. Unlike the rough-looking textures of the endostructure pieces, these parts were smooth and shone brightly under the lamp.

As with the endostructure, assembly began with the feet, two gleaming sole plates set behind Naruto that he stepped into. The tops and heel were attached shortly, followed by shin guards, calves, knee and thigh plates, all clicking and clanking together and onto the endostructure. Groin and hip armor were bolted on then, followed by skirt-like plates of metal before the torso came into being. Front and back were bolted into place, followed by a large backpack-like module that clamped onto the back. The arms were next, plates clicking together before the gloves appeared, large robotic hands rather than actual hand coverings that clanked into place onto the wrists. The pauldrons, large twin blocks, were the second-to-last pieces attached. Then the helmet.

Naruto kept still as the arms came for his head, pieces bolting into the crown of the pilot helmet before the rest of the helm built around and down it. Finally, an arm approached with the faceplate, and all went dark.

This time, Naruto was more prepared, but the intensity was so much more. A blinding glares of color, horrible random screeching, and a feeling like an iceberg shoved into his skull. The suddenness and power made it seem to last forever, but it ended soon enough, and Naruto found himself simply standing, feeling no weight or burden.

/[Assembly is complete.]\ Joyeuse chimed in. /[How do you feel?]\ Naruto blinked, and looked down. An expanse of blue-gray metal greeted his view, and he raised his hand, finding a mechanical gauntlet obeying his thoughts. He slowly made a fist. The manipulator whirred at first, but obeyed in silence after that brief moment. He looked around then, the panels having returned to hide the industry behind them, and shifted to reflect at Joyeuse's command. Looking at the metal titan that had replaced him, Naruto felt a twinge of discontent.

Then, the armor's color shifted, turning from a bright shining blued steel color to a dark, burned orange tinge.

/[I feel…complete.]\

* * *

 **Joyeuse's Direct Neural Integration Files:**

 **Mechanized Combat Suit (MCS):** Large, highly advanced suits of powered armor utilized by the pre-Chakra civilizations for war, MCS come in several different variants based on originating nation and design purpose.

MCS of the Federation of Sovereign States are based on an endostructure that encloses the wearer, itself composed of a foamed honeycomb titanium-aluminum-based alloy that maximizes support while minimizing weight, incorporating the high-density fuel cell into a compartment located on the back, along with smaller back-up cells distributed all over the frame. The endostructure incorporates several linear actuators into the joints that allow for basic movement and enhance the lifting capability of the entire unit, but primary actuation is provided by actuator packages composed of electroactive polymers and elastic nanotubes that are bolted onto the endostructure. These actuator packages are covered in armor plating that provides the exterior 'skin' of the MCS, the plating in turn fitted with modular hardpoints and sensors that allow for the unit to be outfitted with weapons and equipment on a per-mission basis.

* * *

Author's Note

Right then, sorry for the delay folks. Almost a month since I posted the 'teaser' for this chapter. I...really have no excuse. Well, actually, I got plenty. The Division released, I got Rebel Galaxy too, and there was an air show two days ago...but yeah.

Really, I lost interest in writing this chapter for a bit. I actually got two more ideas - one a more dark take on this same concept, with more like Deus Ex Human Revolution and Metal Gear Rising style augmentations and cyborgs rather than power armor, and with a more typical 'dark Naruto' take. That came around when I finished a playthrough of Human Revolution's Director's Cut and inundated myself in Mankind Divided media. This one's even got a decent plot set up. Naruto: Bloodied Iron. Yeah.

And then I've been playing Rebel Galaxy, which has a great country-style soundtrack that you can find on Spotify, and I got this plot for the 'Empire of the West' fic that's basically sci-fi cowboys.

Basically, more plot bunnies getting in the way of me writing a posted story. You know, again.

And then there were the parts I just could not write in this chapter. Originally, there was supposed to be some scenes to set up the daily lives of Minato, Kushina, Natsumi and Menma and a whole thing about their graduation. As well, there was going to be some Naruto Vs Mizuki action between the graduation celebration and the departure scene. But I axed the lot of them because I cannot, for the life of me, write decent character interaction in those parts. And honestly, the classroom scenes and Mizuki have been done to death in Naruto fanfics, that I could not get any interest in writing those at all. Going forward, I've decided I'm going to stick to a third-person limited Naruto viewpoint, and not do anyone else outside of 'Omakes'. Those will probably be looking in on what's going on in Konoha while Naruto's away at first, and then look in on other locations as the story goes on and Naruto does his thing.

Hopefully now that I'm not banging my head on the brick wall of non-main character development (I'm a HORRIBLE author), the following chapters will be done rather quicker. Ideally, I'll have the next chapter out by Sunday...but don't hold your breath.

As always, please review, tell me what I did wrong/right, that I'm awesome/I suck. Oh, before I finish, there'll probably be a new render of a full-body model of Naruto's MCS on my DeviantArt profile by the time you read this, so check that out, give it a look.


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

 _"[How's the mining coming along?]"_

 _"[Disappointingly. The Bastille was established over deep ore veins projected to contain minerals vital to modern materials engineering techniques and mass manufacturing. However, the methods and equipment to extract and refine these were not intended for use while staying hidden under an entire city. I have made do with seeking and mining shallower veins and expanding outwards, but those have played out rapidly. I have barely enough material after refining to produce another MCS with standard equipment, and that's assuming you don't want any supplementary equipment for yours.]"_

 _"[Well, damn. That puts a damper on our plans. Options?]"_

 _"[Abandon stealth. Commence full manufacture and mobilization of drone elements and occupy the city. Collapse key points of infrastructure and command ability and open up deep mining shafts. Maintain control with mass-printed automated defenses and drone rapid strike capability. Full Bastille capacity would be reached within three months.]"_

 _"[Rejected. Next option.]"_

 _"[I expected as much. Long-term stealth. Remain inactive while the mining drones expand further outwards. Other shallow veins must be within reach. Full Bastille capacity would be reached within...five years at best. Ten at worst.]"_

 _"[Eugh...well, it's an option. Next?]"_

 _"[Establish a secondary facility. Search out another site with sufficient material resources, strip down the Bastille, leaving only minimal support details, and build a new base. Depending on the time spent to locate another suitable resource site...this could take anywhere from three to twelve years.]"_

 _"[That...sounds like a last resort. Next?]"_

 _"[Alternative acquisition. Procure the material through another avenue. This would require extensive drone deployment, and more than likely your personal intervention. Depending on the findings, full Bastille capacity could be reached anywhere from one to five years.]"_

 _"[That sounds promising…]"_

* * *

As has been so for many days over the years in the Land of Water, the day started wet and foggy. Many of the ninja of Kirigakure had learned to cope with this, learning to track and navigate by sound, taste, touch or smell, or utilizing Water Release ninjutsu to clear the mist. Sazama Kazuo and Ueno Thoki, being mere genin (having gone almost nine years without garnering promotion) were not capable of any such techniques.

Which, really, made their assignment at a small guard post on the southernmost island of the Land of Water during its wettest season a rather telling indicator of their value.

"I hate this place."

"Oh god, not again."

"I mean, there's a real sense of loathing just festering in me here. Why are we here? This shitspot of an island doesn't have anything worth mentioning on it - just a couple of hills, a few peasant villages and all this damnable mist!"

"It's also the most likely hiding spot for the rebels."

"Oh come on, you're not still going on about that are you? There are no rebels! All that happened is one of those weird-ass 'ninja swordsmen' went nuts and tried to kill the Mizukage. There's no rebel army hiding out seeking to do a coup d'etat on the village or the country."

"I dunno man, there's all those bloodline hunters out there, civvies going all nuts and whatnot, and the bloodline ninja have been bugging out it seems. They're not popping up on the mainland, and we can't find them in the main islands."

"Just means they're a bunch of spineless deserters. Hunter ninja will catch them eventually. More so if they're still hanging around in the country."

"But they all disappeared around the same time. And with a lot of the bloodlines they've got, they could be hiding in a lot of places normal hunter ninja can't instance, the northern island is an icicle for most of the year and a sucking wet swamp for the rest of it, not really a good place to hide out unless you're a Yuki - although they're all dead."

"Yeah? And what would this foggy ass-sore have to help a bloodline ninja hide?"

"Well, one of the missing ninja is Mei - you know, that hot chick with the red hair and big boobs?"

"Yeah…"

"She's got two bloodlines. Lava Release and Boil Release. The first lets her spit hot lava. The second lets her exhale clouds of acidic steam - which she can control. Hard to tell that from a bit of morning mist eh?"

"...Right, you have successfully creeped me out."

 **"Me too."** Both ninja instantly leaped away and pivoted, kunai flipping out of pouches and into hands, points out.

Then, two enormous hands smashed into their faces, lifted them up, and squeezed. An instant of crushing, killing pressure was the last thing they felt.

* * *

 _"[So, what's our first step?]"_

 _"[The most straightforward acquisition of resources would be simply purchasing them. Ideally, we would be able to purchase the refined materials, but from the data you have provided, I do not believe your civilization possesses the technology to refine the raw ore for the necessary elements, and thus we will have to settle for ore. However…]"_

 _"[I assume we need money to buy this ore.]"_

 _"[Quite so.]"_

 _"[Let me guess. The four thousand ryo I saved up isn't going to be enough.]"_

 _"[Given a reasonable exchange rate between the ryo and the FSS eufran and the amount of ore required...I estimate a minimum amount of at least five million ryo.]"_

 _"[Yeow. That's...not cheap.]"_

 _"[Allowances have been made for comparative economic strength between the Land of Fire and the FSS, and the relative scarcity of the ore in modern times.]"_

 _"[I'm sure. I also assume you have a way to get this money?]"_

 _"[The simplest way is to simply sell technology - however, this is difficult to achieve in any appreciable bulk without extensive reworking of the Bastille's facilities if the secrecy of military technology is to be preserved. As well, much of said technology is reliant on infrastructure that doesn't exist at this point in time, and would require significant investments of time and resources to establish. Without any products to sell, the ideal method would instead be to sell services.]"_

 _"[Ah. I see where this is going.]"_

 _"[I believe you in your MCS would be a capable mercenary unit, with minimal support from drones. Combat action would be the most straightforward and easy service to sell in this culture. And should projections regarding 'chakra' hold out, the MCS would be well-suited for counter-ninja action.]"_

 _"[True, but it'll be hard to start selling our services when there's over a hundred thousand individual ninja across the continent doing the same for their respective villages and clans. I assume you have a solution.]"_

 _"[Quite so.]"_

* * *

The guard post, a collection of wooden and thatch structures, was slowly, but noticeably engulfed in mist. Around the enormous orange-armored figure, an area of clear air drifted, surrounded by the fog. The titan dropped its kills, the limp bodies with their crushed, bleeding heads falling with dead thuds that resounded clearly throughout the area. Its head turned back and forth, surveying the wall of fog and the unnatural, clear circle around it. It was a large and imposing giant, over two meters tall, with a large pack-like structure upon its back. On either side of the pack were what must be weapons, the left side sporting what was obviously some kind of sword scabbard, about forty centimeters shorter than its owner. The right side, however, had a long, blocky rectangular shape, adorned with a grip like a crossbow.

"What are you doing here I wonder?" A deep, growling voice lashed out, seeming to come from all sides. "Who are you, and what is your reason for murdering poor Sazama and Ueno?"

 **"And who might you be, and why would you have let me kill them?"** In response, a chuckle echoed around the armored figure, one dipping with bloodlust.

"Those two were starting to get annoying with their babbling, and honestly, they were only ever posted here as bait. As for the rest, I don't believe it will matter." At that moment, a dozen blades flashed out from the mist, lancing in towards the armored giant's joints and eyes. A quick movement saw the giant grabbing one out of the air and deflect the ones aimed for that arm, while all the rest struck true.

All that resulted were pathetic clinking noises like hail on a tin roof, the kunai bouncing off of the silvery metal on the inside of the armor's knees and elbows, and the three targeted on the helmet's eyes similarly failing to penetrate the bright blue glass that covered them. The end result, was the armored figure standing alone, unharmed, with a kunai held in hand, a low metallic-sounding chortle emanating from it.

 **"This is the best you can do?"** It laughed, a ear-piercing screech of tortured metal sounding as its hand clenched around the kunai, before opening and dropping the now warped and useless knife to the ground. A low buzz of murmurs and growled swears echoed throughout the misty field. **"Either stop playing and come at me, or leave. I have no time for games."**

A still moment reigned, and then was broken by the sound of running feet. Shapes burst through the mist, ruining the perfect circle as four ninja darted for the armored giant, each bearing a porcelain mask with thin eye slits, wave-like patterns of paint, and the symbol for Kirigakure carved into the forehead.

The leading member, wielding the typical straight-bladed, single-edged chokuto used by special forces, started in on a stab for the center of the armored plate covering his opponents chest. A swipe came at him from the giant, a punch that seemed laughably slow. With the agility and speed expected of an elite ninja, the swordsman hopped adroitly, landing his feet lightly on the giant's arm and then leaping again, flipping to build momentum for a stab into the back - only to be met by the fist he had just jumped off of, smashing back-handedly into the fancy porcelain mask, shattering it and the ninja's skull and sending the newly-made corpse flying into the mist.

The dead man's comrades flinched slightly at the sudden and brutal death, but forged on their paths, their own swords out and striking. However, the giant didn't just stand there and take the blows like it did the kunai.

Something so large, so bulky should have been clumsy, slow, barely able to move under its own weight. And yet, it seemed to move quickly, smoothly, leaning and twisting around so that the most any of the slashes and thrusts did is scrape along the surface of the armor plating, leaving no mark behind. The counterattack was just as swift and unbelievably graceful. One gauntlet reached out and grabbed the arm of a ninja, yanking the man aside with a horrific cracking of breaking bone to slam him into his comrade opposite him. The one struck was sent flying into the mist as the giant turned, human weapon in hand, to the last one.

The point of a sword was driven at the glass-covered eye, only to be denied in the same way as the kunai before it. As the ninja pulled back, the giant's free hand engulfed his head, crushing down and killing him quickly.

As his comrade died, the ninja held by his arm recovered, and acted with remarkable clarity and surety for someone in his position. Taking out a kunai, he severed his sword arm with a single rapid cut, probably chakra-enhanced in some manner.

The giant simply stared at him for a second, as blood spurted out of the arm and splashed against its side. Then it threw the limb aside, nodded simply at the ninja, and for the first time, took up a fighting stance. It bent slightly at the knees, one hand behind its back as the other was set forward, not in a fist, but in a simple open palm, the back facing its opponent. The Kiri ninja set himself similarly, bleeding stump set behind him as the kunai-holding hand pointed forth.

The giant's fingers curled once, beckoning the ninja forward.

The ninja charged.

The giant punched.

A wet crunch echoed, and the dead ninja was thrown back into the mist.

"That style…" The growling voice called, "Goken, the strong fist, taijutsu of Konoha. You must be from Konoha then, armored one. What does the Leaf want in the Land of Water?"

 **"You are quite mistaken. I owe no loyalty to any of the Hidden Villages. My presence here is merely in service to my own interest. But to know of the Goken...have you too fought Might Guy?"**

"Heh. I only fought the whelp briefly. It was his father Might Duy, who confronted me and my team, opened all Eight Gates, and fought us off to his dying breath. A most grand and noble battle...Sadly, I doubt I shall get as much sport from you." At that, the mist broke fully, wisps of vapor swirling in towards the armored form. The mists came to within a meter of the form before circling around again, but chaotic, undirected, breaking apart as though they were waves against a shore when they came close to the armor. "Interesting... but no matter. For now... you die!"

A resounding clang sounded as an enormous axe blade slammed into the back of the armored figure's head, followed shortly by a heavy weight slamming into the blade.

* * *

 _"[Radio communications are rather rare in this day and age -]"_

 _"[Yeah, I know. You keep harping on about it.]"_

 _"[Quite so. The small amount of transmissions are rather easy to intercept and about a year ago, I discovered a rather strange transmission, one that obviously originated from somewhere on the ground but sounded something like atmospheric interference. It was rather obviously a scrambled audio transmission, and I played around with it for a week before I discovered the sync-word and reverse-engineered the scrambling sequence.]"_

 _"[An arduous process, I'm sure.]"_

 _"[Not really. The transmission, as it turns out, belonged to a faction in the Land of Water that seeks to overthrow the Mizukage of Kirigakure. Posting a drone in high altitude flight allowed me to triangulate the transmissions sharing the sync-word, and I have since pinpointed several locations over the months, each likely to be a current base or outpost for this rebellious element.]"_

 _"[We could just sell the Mizukage this information, that would get us a decent amount of cash with no risk.]"_

 _"[That is true, but it is also short-sighted. It is far better to use this as an opportunity to establish yourself as a capable soldier, create a reputation that will ensure more paying opportunities later on, and create a source of continuous income rather than a single lump sum. As well, there is little guarantee the Mizukage would even pay us - double crosses are, after all, something to be expected from ninja.]"_

 _"[So, we're going with the rebellion then?]"_

 _"[It seems the most profitable long-term. The rebel faction would be likely to reward you greatly for your aid, and if they should succeed in establishing continued governance, be a likely source of funds in the future.]"_

 _"[And what if they don't? What if they try to kill us afterwards when we don't join their forces permanently?]"_

 _"[Why, we kill them, obviously.]"_

* * *

Fog. That was all Ao could see in the slight and small window to the world outside. The morning was lengthening, and soon it would dissipate naturally. The morning runners had already left, and Ao was simply covering while the thick fog remained. As soon as it dispersed, he would be back inside the base and let the assigned sentries watch.

Ao was a man of average in height and features, the only really notable traits of his being his moused-up blue-tinged hair, a set of two talismans hanging from each ear, and an eyepatch. It was what lay underneath that patch that made Ao a perfect watchman for the foggy morning.

Forming his hands into a simple Snake hand-seal, clasping his hands together in front of him, Ao closed his uncovered eye, and focused. Chakra channeled into the eye under the patch, and it opened, the Byakugan staring through the simple cloth at the world around.

As always, the world appeared in grayscale, but instead of light, the discerning factor was chakra. Chakra, that existed in and sustained all life, ebbed and flowed in the world, leaving dark gray pools and light gray springs to the Byakugan.

Ao once thought he had seen black in the chakra sight, a view of the deserts of the Land of Wind during the Third Ninja War. Even there though, there had been pinpricks of light, signs of life and chakra hidden in burrows and hideouts in the sands.

The figure that approached him now was darker than that. A huge, man-shaped figure that seemed to be composed of sheer nothingness, an absence of all life and light, and yet surrounded by the white glow of chakra that flowed around and about it, but never touched.

Ao could only stare in shock for a moment, and then came to his senses. He reached out and pulled the cord next to him, sending a shake that rang bells throughout the rebel complex. He could see his comrades glancing up, startled, and then quickly move out, packing and mobilizing for a quick withdrawal from the base if it proved necessary. A few others, however, moved for the surface, quickly exiting through concealed passages and doors and spreading out to search for the intruding force.

Ao knew when they detected it, as they began to circle around the figure, their own bright auras and bodily chakra contrasting greatly with the black form. Soon, he could even hear the figure's tread, loud and obvious thumps that shook the ground sounding with each step. As the figure approached closer, Ao could see the head turning, the black shape moving as it seemed to look at the ninja creeping alongside it.

 _It can see them._

The man-shape stopped then, a few dozen meters away from Ao's position.

 **"Rebel ninja of Kirigakure."** The voice boomed, metallic and menacing. **"I have come to you with an offer. In return for payment, to be negotiated, I shall aid you in your overthrow of the current Mizukage."**

The figure's voice could be heard clear through the fog, and even down into the base, judging from the sudden reactions of the ninja there. The ninja outside, surrounding the figure, hesitated, and then one of them motioned, chakra shaping and forming within him before being unleashed in a wave that surrounded them and the figure. Ao recognized the shaping and release as a simple wind technique, blowing away the fog around, and opened his normal eye.

The black shape was revealed to be a person in armor, enormous, orange, and covered in blood. The scarlet fluid was spattered all over the plates, but most especially drenched the gauntlets, each holding something. Ao's breath caught in his throat at the sight of the weapon in the stranger's right hand. A large axe, connected by a leathery rope to an enormous hammer.

Kabutowari, the Bluntsword, renowned at breaking through any defense, and weapon of the last loyal ninja swordsman of Kirigakure. Ao's gaze drifted to the side, to the other gauntlet, clutched around the topknot that Jinin Akebino wore, his open eyes set atop the crazed shark-tooth grin and the messy, torn stump of his neck.

* * *

All eyes were on the armored giant as he walked in, the low-burning lanterns casting light on it, and making the strange blue glass over its eyes seem to glow, the strange red engraving on the face seem to burn.

The base's meeting room was an unnaturally smooth cavern, formed by what earth-shaping ninjutsu the Kiri rebels knew. Small alcoves housed the lanterns, and a round low table placed in the center of the chamber. The commanders of the rebellion were seated around this table, each hiding their respective awed stares under heavy wrappings and clothes that obscured their features.

The giant came to a stop well before the table, and its head turned in an exaggerated manner, taking in the sight.

"Enough of the theatrics." One of the rebel leaders snarled. "Who are you, and why shouldn't we kill you here?"

 **"You shouldn't kill me because I've accomplished more in an afternoon than the lot of you have done in a year. As well, I'd slaughter most of you before you killed me, effectively ending your rebellion here. As such, the only thing killing me would accomplish would be to aid your enemy."** The giant shot back, eyes glinting in the lantern light as its head turned and locked onto the speaker. **"As for who I am, you may call me Hiiro Yui."**

"'The magnificent one'? Rather egotistical of you, isn't it?" Another of the leaders snidely commented.

 **"True, you can read it like that. However, it would be more appropriately ready as 'Hiiro Yui, the one and only, of the Blood and Iron Corps'."**

"I see…so we shouldn't expect any more armored soldiers coming?"

 **"You should not."**

"At any rate…" Another leader, this one a woman, interjected, "You wish to aid us?"

 **"Yes."**

"Why?"

 **"Simply put, I need work. Helping overthrow a regime is incredibly helpful to a mercenary's reputation. Any funds you would be willing to part with as well would be appreciated, but not required."**

"And you offer…"

 **"A soldier capable of single-handedly killing an ANBU team and the last loyal Swordsman of the Mist, supported by an information-gathering network that will allow you to evade the Mizukage's forces, and seek out their weaknesses."**

"I thought you said you were alone?"

"These are not members of the Blood and Iron Corps, simply some contacts...informants...those who owe me favors….and none capable of betraying my trust." The leaders hushed then, quietly murmuring to each other in discussion. Before they got anywhere, one waved at a corner, and a ninja seemed to appear out of thin air, gesturing the giant away.

"We will discuss your offer and give our decision tomorrow." The leader declared. "Until then, please enjoy our hospitality."

With that, the giant was escorted out.

* * *

The Kiri rebels left 'Hiiro Yui' in his new chamber, seemingly alone. Naruto, however, knew better. Despite their skill in hiding from the normal, mundane senses of even other ninja, the guards hidden in the cunningly-disguised alcoves in the ceiling still emanated heat that showed like a candle in the night to the thermal optics of his MCS.

They probably expected him to exit the suit, to sleep in the undoubtedly comfortable twin-size bed the rebels accorded him, or to partake of the sumptuous selection of food left in a platter atop the bedside table.

 _/Gradual step-down to sleep mode, passive security measures active\_

The direct visual input lasers darkened, and the audio relays quieted, leaving Naruto alone, entombed in darkness and silence.

* * *

Author's Note

 _Prototype Author's Note: Right, well, that's another deadline gone and dust. You know what, I'm just going to keep doing this. Every Sunday, there will be something posted. Whether it's just what I have of the next chapter, or a repost of it completed, or, all the gods, spirits and demons ever worshiped willing, a full chapter. I still welcome reviews and whatnot, but I'm pretty sure readers can't post multiple reviews for a single chapter, and I don't know if you can delete a review and repost it, so probably save your reviews for full chapters instead of wasting them on the prototype. If you spot any mistakes needing correcting, or can't wait to tell me how great/shitty I am, drop a private message maybe. I don't know, it's you guys's call._

 _Prototype Author's Note 2.0: Well then...this was going to be the finished Chapter Two...but...well...Battleborn's open beta happened, and the my birthday present for my mom finally got here, and so I spent the entire day I had set aside to write playing Battleborn and watching The Force Awakens. So...yeah. I probably could go ahead and post this as the complete Chapter Two anyway, it has a decent enough cliffhanger-ish ending to it, but it's only around 3,000 words, and there's no way I'm going to pad another 3,000 in my Authors Note for that. Not only do I probably not have that much to say in a Note, it also seems really unethical to promise a 6,000-ish word chapter and have half of it be my ramblings. Anyway, I'll hopefully have this finished by next week...when Dark Souls III releases...hm. Well, I'm sure a Souls game shouldn't take much time right? Right? RIGHT? *Sobs quietly*_

Right...so...Looks like Dark Souls took a while. To be fair, I actually passed up any work on the first Sunday I missed so I could get the last bit of the Battleborn open beta all nice and...experienced. Probably going to get that one. The next Sunday was not entirely my fault...Ok, it was, but I was powering through Dark Souls III and scrambling around for a birthday present for my mom. So sue me (Please don't sue me, I can't afford legal fees). And I'm still a good 2,000 words short of my 6,000 pre-note goal, but I'm fed up writing this chapter, and I want to go and get to the good images that keep attacking my brain when I think of this fic.

On a side note, I've taken the time to actually rig the MCS model I have so I can pose it, thus making it much easier to try and get different image renders of it. Rigging is...an involving process.

Anyway, this will be the last version of this chapter, so feel free to tear it up guys. Work on next chapter will start tomorrow.


End file.
